Hurricane native makes Broadway debut in 'CATS' revival

Emily Tate of Hurricane is performing as Tantomile in the Broadway revival of "CATS" that opened Sunday. She is shown in the cast photo as the first cat to the right of the center cat, who is dressed in white.(Photo: Matthew Murphy / For The Spectru)

“CATS” opened its first Broadway revival Sunday night and an actress from Hurricane was on stage in the role of Tantomile.

Emily Tate grew up in Hurricane and received dance, acting and vocal training at Diamond Talent in St. George before going on to the Julliard School in New York City, where she graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in dance. It all prepared her for Sunday evening, where she performed on Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre stage during the opening night performance.

“I’m still on such a high,” Tate tells The Spectrum & Daily News on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after her Broadway debut. “It was incredible — such a dream come true.”

From looking out into the audience and seeing Broadway legends to the red carpet walk at Sunday night’s after-party, Tate says the entire evening was a culmination of dreams that began when she joined Diamond Talent at age 7.

At the St. George studio she studied under Melinda Larson, who co-owns Diamond Talent with her husband, Brian Larson. Melinda directs the dance program while Brian oversees musical theater training.

“There’s no way I would have got into Julliard without their exceptional training,” Tate says. “They saw my potential and nurtured and fostered my growth. They challenged me and have helped me through every step of the way in getting here.”

Emily Tate, center, poses with Melinda and Brian Larson on Sunday night following the opening of "CATS" on Broadway. The Larsons own Diamond Talent, the St. George studio where Tate trained before attending the Julliard School in New York City.(Photo: Submitted)

Tate says her Broadway dream also belongs to the Larsons. And they were there in New York City on Sunday night to share the dream with her. They had purchased tickets for the Monday performance but Tate surprised them with seats for opening night as well.

“That was really special to have them in the audience,” Tate says. “It feels like yesterday that I was 7 years old and sitting in the dance studio looking up at Melinda.”

Melinda says it was “exhilarating” to see her former student standing on a Broadway stage. She remembers hearing Tate’s childhood dreams and telling her they were possible. Now, she says, it’s wonderful to see her “at the other end.”

Brian says it has been fun to watch Tate’s journey.

“I think she was probably our first student to really make a big leap,” Brian says. “She was 11 or 12 when she jumped to our advanced level. … She’s been an inspiration to us and to all our (students).”

While attending Julliard, Tate would return to Southern Utah during the summers to teach at Diamond Talent. Melinda says she taught the students to be less competitive and focus instead on where they belong individually. Tate’s success on Broadway only emphasizes her teachings, Melinda says.

It also changed the way Diamond Talent students approached their classes in general.

“It’s actually easier to teach,” Melinda says. “I’m not trying to convince them of anything. They know dreams are possible because of Emily.”

Tate says Diamond Talent not only gave her the training necessary to make it to Julliard and Broadway, the studio also helped form her as a person. She says her instructors taught her life skills that shaped who she is as a human being.

After Diamond Talent, Julliard took over. Tate says her time at the legendary fine arts conservatory was often intense and demanding, but it gave her the training necessary to make it to Broadway. It also brought her to New York City, opening up opportunities for her career.

“I knew I always wanted to do musical theater because I did so much of that growing up in Diamond Talent,” she says.

Yet at Julliard she focused on dance because she feels as if that is the aspect of musical theater that is sometimes overlooked. She focused on dance but also took voice lessons at Julliard to build up her “tool kit.”

“CATS,” in particular, makes good use of her dance talents. Part of what she enjoys about the musical is the variety of dance numbers in the show.

“I get to use all the training I’ve received through the years,” she says. “You don’t find that in every Broadway show.”

Emily Tate, an actress from Hurricane, made her Broadway debut on Sunday in the revival of "CATS."(Photo: Submitted)

Broadway bound

Tate’s journey to Broadway began after her graduation from Julliard with a production of “Oklahoma” at The Muny in St. Louis during the summer of 2015. She then performed during the fall in the original production of “The Bandstand” at the Paper Mill Playhouse, a regional theater in Millburn, New Jersey. “The Bandstand” is set to move on to Broadway next year.

Andy Blankenbuehler directed and choreographed the Paper Mill’s production of “The Bandstand.” He has won two Tony Awards for choreography, including a 2016 Tony for his work on “Hamilton.” Blankenbuehler is also the choreographer for “CATS,” which provided Tate with a connection to the show when she became one of 1,500 actors auditioning for a role in the revival.

Of those 1,500 who auditioned, only 34 made the cut. It’s a staggering number that hits Tate every day when she walks into the theater and realizes she is meant to be there.

“I had seven auditions for it,” she says of the role. “I got called back seven times.”

Seven interviews for a single job is just part of life in the business. Tate says auditioning is almost like a part-time job.

But the phone call she received from the casting director for “CATS” back in April made the six weeks of auditions all worth it. She was working as a nanny at the time.

“It was such a surreal moment. It was one of the moments I had dreamed of since I was little — getting the Broadway offer,” Tate says. “It was like a movie, a fairytale, something that would never happen to me.”

She didn’t call anyone for an hour after hearing the good news. It took that long for it to sink in. For a time, she says she wasn’t sure if it was real.

Finally she called her family. Then she called the Larsons.

The role she landed is Tantomile, the female twin to Coricopat. The character’s name comes from the T.S. Eliot poem, “Witch’s Cat.” The entire musical is based on Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.”

Coincidentally, Coricopat is played by Tate’s close friend, Corey Snide, whom she met at Julliard.

“Somehow, miraculously, we both ended up getting cast in this show,” she says.

A revival of "CATS" opened Sunday on Broadway and Emily Tate, who grew up in Hurricane, was among the cast, making her Broadway debut. She is pictured at top right.(Photo: Matthew Murphy / For The Spectru)

The stuff of dreams

“CATS” originally opened on Broadway in 1982 and ran for what was, at the time, a record-breaking 18 years. It is now the fourth-longest running Broadway show.

Since it opened, “CATS” has played throughout the world but this is the first Broadway revival since the original run closed in 2000. Tate says it’s fun being part of a revival because the audience already knows the music and gets excited for all the iconic moments.

Speaking of iconic moments, “CATS” is perhaps best known for the song “Memory,” performed by the character Grizabella. For the revival, British pop singer Leona Lewis is performing the role of Grizabella. “CATS” is also Lewis’ Broadway debut.

“She has been amazing,” Tate says of Lewis. “She is so kind and humble. She can sing incredibly well.”

While “CATS” is sometimes criticized for its minimal storyline, it remains a beloved musical. Tate says she loves it because audience members don’t expect to be moved as much as they are moved during the production.

Tate describes “CATS” as a celebration of community and the individuals within a community. Although the characters are cats, they face many of the same struggles that humans face.

“My favorite part of it is that it’s told through beautiful music and exceptional dancing and spectacle,” she says. “It’s really like no other musical. There’s something really magical about it.”

While the run length for this show is open-ended, Tate says she’s sure everyone involved is hoping for a long run. Whether it will even come close to the original production’s record-breaking 18-year run remains to be seen.

Living in New York City has also given Tate the opportunity to see other shows, including the musical blockbuster “Hamilton.”

“I was lucky enough to see it last fall and it lived up to every ounce of its hype,” Tate says. “It was the best entertainment I’ve ever seen. It was incredible.”

She was even rehearsing with Blankenbuehler the day before he won the Tony Award for his choreography in “Hamilton.”

Looking to the future, Tate says one of her dream roles would be the chance to perform in “Movin’ Out,” a musical by rock star Billy Joel and choreographer Twyla Tharp. Unlike traditional musicals, none of the dancing actors sing. Instead they act out the plot through dance while a piano-playing singer and backing band provide all the vocals.

Emily Tate appears on the red carpet Sunday night after her Broadway debut in the revival of "CATS" with Alex Larson, a fellow Southern Utahn who attended the Julliard School with her.(Photo: Submitted)

Brian says his former student has plenty of potential for continued success. “CATS” is just the beginning, he says, describing Tate as an intelligent performer who knows how to make connections.

“Things have really fallen into place for her and I think it’s because she’s a great person, a great human being,” he says.

For now, Tate is just beginning her adventures as Tantomile, a role that requires more than an hour of wardrobe, hair and makeup preparation each night. The show’s makeup designer taught each of the actors how to apply their own makeup.

While Tate is hoping the makeup process will speed up over time, she does appreciate the life skills it’s teaching her. Her future children will benefit from some detailed makeup work if they ever decide to dress as cats for Halloween, she says with a laugh.

While the costume preparation combined with body and vocal warmup means she has to arrive at the theater more than two hours before each show, Tate says it’s still fun to see everyone getting into costume as they prepare to regale their audiences with “The Naming of Cats.”

She finds it amusing to think about where her childhood dreams have led her.

“Oh, this is what I do for a living,” she says. “I dress up like a cat.”